State Home Corporation Named First IDS Housing Initiative Partner of Year

The Mississippi Housing Corporation received the 2010 Housing Initiative Partner of the Year Award presented by the Institute for Disability Studies at The University of Southern Mississippi. Pictured from left to right: Dr. Royal Walker Jr., IDS executive director; Ruthie Bilal, MHC assistant vice president, Single Family Program Operations; Cassie Hicks, IDS coordinator of housing initiatives and Ben Mokry, MHC executive vice president, Research and Development. (Submitted photo)

The Mississippi Housing Corporation recently received the inaugural Housing Initiative Partner of the Year award presented by The University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies (IDS).

The award will be presented annually to an agency participating on the IDS Housing Advisory Council that has worked in the housing, disability or economic development arenas in Mississippi to empower people with disabilities to live independently in their communities.

“The Mississippi Home Corporation was instrumental in the development of the Home of Your Own program in Mississippi,” said IDS executive director Dr. Royal Walker, who presented the award, a signed watercolor print. “MHC has been tremendously supportive through the years and has helped us reach our current total of assisting 416 individuals with disabilities and their families living in 56 counties during the 14 successful years of the program. This all started as a dream of what could be done.”

The Mississippi Housing Corporation has been an active member of the IDS Housing Advisory Council since its formation in 2004. The corporation was created by the state in 1989 to serve as Mississippi’s housing finance agency and administers the Mortgage Revenue Bond program and the Housing Tax Credit program.

“The Mississippi Home Corporation has been like a silent partner in its partnership role with IDS,” said Cassie Hicks, IDS coordinator of housing. “Their support has come in many forms: as a member of the council; assisting with grant packages; providing funding and promoting housing fair and homebuyer education seminars to name just a few. MHC has indeed been the ultimate partner and so worthy of this recognition.”

Nominations for Partner of the Year are received from April 1 through June 30. For more information about the award process, visit www.usm.edu/ids/housingpartners. For more information about the Institute for Disability Studies, visit www.usm.edu/ids